50th Anniversary of the Party Press

August 26 marked the 50th anniversary of the press of the Communist Party of Canada (Marxist-Leninist). This press is a powerful weapon in the hands of the working class to organize itself in defence of its own interests. This year on September 1, we also mark the 35th anniversary of the mass Party press and mass non-Party press, two kinds of journalism indispensable for the building of the working class movement for its own emancipation.

Based on a profound appreciation of the Party's experience, the Central Committee held an important meeting in mid-August with leading cadre of the Workers' Centre of CPC(M-L) to discuss the significance of analyzing unfolding events and to set guidelines to further strengthen the Party press. Present at the meeting were also leading cadre of the Quebec Committee of CPC(M-L) and of the communist youth. The meeting also saluted the Party on the occasion of its 50th anniversary. The main presentation was on the topic: The Significance of Analyzing Unfolding Developments which was further elaborated by those present in the form of drawing warranted conclusions to guide the work in the coming period.

The work to strengthen the mass Party press at this time is a key component of the work CPC(M-L) has undertaken during this period of retreat of revolution. The COVID-19 pandemic is taking place within the context of a vicious neo-liberal anti-social offensive and it is being used by the ruling class to escalate this offensive against the working class and people. The working class has engaged the bourgeoisie in a trial of strength and it has the Party and the Party press at its disposal.

The bourgeoisie controls all forms of media at this time, both print and audio-visual. Besides being highly monopolized, this media is extremely retrogressive and an obstacle to opening society's path to progress. The Party press shows that the working class can have its own voice under these conditions. The bourgeoisie not only does not want the working class to have its own voice but it does not even want its vanguard, CPC(M-L), to exist as the organized expression of the working class aim to constitute the nation and vest sovereignty in the people. In this respect, CPC(M-L) has overcome many obstacles the bourgeoisie has put in its path in the past, and continues to do so today. It does not permit the voice of the working class to be silenced and it makes sure this plays a decisive role to open society's path to progress.

Celebration of commissioning of the new printing press, July 5, 1990.

Speaking in 1990 when the Party commissioned a new printing press, CPC(M-L) leader Hardial Bains pointed out that the mass Party and non-Party press have the key advantage over the bourgeois press because both are forward-looking, working to open the path for the progress of society. "For this reason, this press has a future just as the working class has a future and so does its vanguard," Hardial pointed out.

"As CPC(M-L) carries out its work to establish groups of writers and disseminators, the mass Party press is consolidated and it becomes invincible. CPC(M-L) is directing all its efforts to ensure that the groups of writers and disseminators are established and strengthened," Hardial emphasized.

In this vein, the meeting called by the Central Committee with leading cadre of the Workers' Centre and held in mid-August discussed the work required to increase the participation of the workers in reading, writing and distributing Workers' Forum in a manner which ends the marginalization of the working class and vulnerable sections of the people at this crucial time when the bourgeoisie seeks to control everything to its own advantage. With regard to the mass Party press, the meeting decided that at this time, the immediate task is to establish all the links necessary in the class and acquire the competence required to develop the consciousness and organization of the advanced sections of the class, along with the wherewithal to extend this consciousness and organization to the broad sections of the class. In keeping with the theoretical and ideological considerations which gave rise to the formation of Groups of Writers and Disseminators, this work to strengthen the Party press must be based on the strength of the class itself. There is no short-cut or by-pass to get around the fact that the working class must be the instrument of its own emancipation and the need for the Party, as the most advanced section of the class, to provide the class with the required consciousness and organization. The Party relies on the Groups of Writers and Disseminators to strengthen the mass Party press and it has taken practical measures to strengthen this work.

Celebration, August 31, 1986, of one year of building the mass Party press and non-Party press.

It is incumbent on the communists, class conscious workers and all progressive and democratic forces to step up this work in order to make sure they succeed in turning things around at this time in favour of the working people, not the rich.

Since the Party paid first-rate attention to developing the mass Party press and non-Party press in 1985, it has carried out broad and ongoing work to give rise to a new journalism that can serve the needs of the working class and broad masses of the people for enlightenment and social progress. At that time, it was analyzed that the working class must take measures to win the middle strata over to its side and break the stranglehold of the bourgeoisie over this section of society. The Party gave rise to a form of journalism which serves the need for enlightenment and social consciousness.

Since the 8th Party Congress, the Party leadership has paid specific attention to making sure that concrete arrangements are put in place which strengthen the Party publications. In particular, it has taken measures whereby Party activists constitute themselves as Groups of Writers and Disseminators and take up fields of writing and related activities such as reporting on the working class movement; investigating and reporting on the conditions of the working class, both in general and in different sectors of the economy. Through the Party press, the Party and its Workers' Centre have issued statements, analyses, commentaries and views, presenting the positions of the Party on all the issues of importance to both the working class and society in general, in both national and international areas of concern.

At this time, the bourgeoisie is attacking society with a vengeance, targeting in particular the forward-looking view that society should provide for the well-being of all its members. The bourgeoisie is not merely defending the status quo and refusing to move forward. It is not merely refusing to extend the provision of health care and education and other needs such as daycare and old-age security. It has destroyed the very conception of justice, fairness and the social responsibility of governments to do their duty towards members of the polity. By passing legislation based on the medieval view that every individual should fend for herself or himself, even the limited conception of social responsibility that had become the norm in Canada is trampled underfoot.

These developments which are taking place reflect the deep crisis of capitalism, a crisis in which the capitalists and the state as the private treasurer of the capitalist class as a whole cannot generate the levels of revenue that are required to service the insatiable demands of the oligopolies for investments and for the specific types of infrastructure they require at this time. This is why the ruling circles do not adequately fund those areas of spending which are related to the health, education and social welfare of the people. In the same way, no matter how much richer the rich become as a result of governments' pay-the-rich schemes, the workers are submitted to intensified exploitation in the name of "prosperity." Meanwhile, the policies of cartel parties of the establishment are inseparable from the aim of preserving the capitalist system. Whether "Conservative," "Liberal," or "Social-Democrat," they have been compelled by these objective developments to become the open spokespersons and agents for social retrogression.

Under these conditions, where the ruling circles are pushing society backwards, the achievements of the Party in the field of journalism for enlightenment are a great accomplishment, as is having created the conditions for the same flourishing of the journalism of the working class to take place. Both need to be developed to the maximum to have the advanced positions of the working class in the dominant position in society. Both the mass Party press and non-Party press have critical roles to play.

Display from the 44th anniversary of the Party and mass party press, August 23, 2014.

The mass Party press, as the voice of the working class, is an important instrument in the movement of the working class to create the conditions for its own emancipation and open the path for society's progress. The Party also created the mass non-Party press whose partisanship is to the movement for enlightenment and for the progress of society. In this regard, its content and editorial policy reflect the concerns of the people and, in a manner of speaking, it sets the agenda for society by determining which issues are in fact matters of concern and by eliminating or rejecting all those things which are diversionary and irrelevant.

The partisanship of the mass Party press is to the working class and the leading role of the working class over the entire society. It is dedicated to providing the class with the consciousness and organization commensurate with its revolutionary position in society. The movement for enlightenment reflected in the pages of the mass non-Party press, can really thrive only with the working class taking its place and providing all those who are concerned and discontented with the existing situation with the advanced fighting positions, that is by setting the agenda for the working class and its allies to create a modern society based on a modern system.

TML Weekly takes this opportunity to congratulate all those who have contributed to the strengthening and consolidation of the mass Party press and the mass non-Party press. We call on you to continue to provide it with support and expand it at this time when it is crucial that the working class movement further develop its independent politics and use its voice and organizing power to mobilize the broad masses of the people calling for democratic renewal.

This article was published in

Volume 50 Number 32 - August 29, 2020

Article Link:
50th Anniversary of the Party Press

    

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